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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: current · land · rest · track · key · patient

  1. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. current — of water
  3. key — for a lock
  4. current — happening now
  5. land — a country
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. land — ground
  8. key — the most important part
  9. current — electric
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. track — a song
  12. land — to come down
  13. rest — what's left
  14. track — to keep track
  15. track — a path
  16. rest — what's left
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. key — in music

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com